Parenting
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Zoku Pops!
This is the story of two adorable teenagers and their popsicle making adventure. It began with a mother-daughter shopping trip to Brookstone.The Zoku Quick Pop Maker caught our eye and brought us back to the days when we used to pour orange juice into plastic containers, stick them in the freezer and wait… and wait… Feeling nostalgic and grasping for every opportunity to bond before Arielle leaves for college I bought the Zoku and the book of recipes. Arielle and Kai chose to make the watermelon pops first. They blended the watermelon. There wasn’t quite enough watermelon juice after it was strained. But wait… where did all the leftover watermelon go? “Kai!” Into Kai’s mouth that’s where. Teenage…
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Life’s a Beach… and Then You Fly!
May and June are all about celebrations. May is my month with my birthday falling close to Mother’s Day and June is all about Eric with his birthday near Father’s Day. However, we differ greatly on our expectations for celebrating. I like a nice quiet dinner at home and an ice cream cake dessert. Eric insists on an adventure. Last year we tried wind surfing on Eric’s birthday. This year we took a road trip to Orlando to see La Nouba. They have an excellent offer of dinner at The House of Blues and a show for $99.00. Dinner included an appetizer, main course and dessert for each person.Yes, four apps and four desserts for the Rausin family. I highly recommend the…
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Indoor Skydiving
They all stared at me. “Will you do it?” My family is used to me saying, “no way!” They all have the adventure seeking gene. I have the gene that prefers to keep my two feet safely on the ground and my stomach from feeling as though it’s shooting out my mouth. I’m perfectly happy in the most peaceful situations like sitting on a beach with some sangria and a book. This time I said, “sure.” I think their mouths hit the floor. It seemed a much better alternative to the jumping out of an airplane skydiving which Eric has done twice and Arielle and Kai are eager to try. I knew there…
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Orlando Family Vacation
Now that my kids are teenagers I occasionally glimpse back to the past and ask myself what I did as a parent that I’m thankful for. I made a list…. here. Number 2. on the list is family vacations. We began when the kids were little taking short trips to Disney World and then as they got older we explored different states and then different countries. Each trip was an adventure. Each trip was a lesson in exploring and finding the joy in life. It was also a constant reminder for me of what was important. Not having a spotless house or working fifty plus hours a week. Seeing the smiles…
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River of Dreams – Today is Graduation Day
“What’s wrong with dad? I was sitting at breakfast with all my friends and he’s texting me asking me if I have all my cell phone contacts backed up? He’s acting strange.” “You’ re leaving soon. It’s on our minds everyday even if we don’t discuss it.” “Oh.” That was my conversation three days ago with Arielle. For the past three weeks we have had award ceremonies, banquets, performances, final exams, Baccalaureate, invitations to deliver, teachers to thank, parties to plan, and a long list of supplies to purchase for college. No matter what I do, grocery shop, clean, exercise, write, there is a looming cloud within me that has…
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Wonderful Mom Moments
My inspiration for this post comes from The Book of Awesome. I have discovered the magic in delving into thankfulness and recognizing the extraordinary moments that take place every day. In celebration of Mother’s Day, I’ve decided to make a list of special times that have grabbed my heart and made me especially thankful to be a mom. Moms feel free to add to the list in the comment section or on my Facebook page. I wish I could remember every detail of when my teens were younger but I can’t. Even Kai’s little boy voice escapes me. So please join in and help jog my memory of those precious moments shared with our children. …
